Jaguar said to have electric XE in pipeline

Leccy Tech Is Jaguar working on an electric version of its much anticipated XE sports car?

Speculation is rife that the Coventry-based car maker is planning a leccy version of the two-door roadster. It will be powered by a combination of a plug-in battery pack and a small, high performance three-cylinder petrol engine.

Jaguar's 2000 F-Type concept: make your e-car look like this, please

As with the Chevy Volt, the electric XE will be able to cover a given distance using the battery pack alone, after which the petrol engine will kick in to drive the electric motors through a generator and to re-charge the battery pack.

A similar power train is rumoured to be scheduled for the new XJ saloon due to be unveiled – at least with conventional petrol and diesel engines - next month.

Officially, Jaguar is keeping mum, but these hypothetical e-cars would certainly help Jaguar meet fleet-average fuel consumption and emission targets - no easy task when a high percentage of the cars you build are powered by V8s.

What the XE will actually look like is at this stage anyone's guess, but with luck it will not stray too far from the 2000 F-Type concept which is quite simply lovely. ®